Repair oval then watch it rot?

Cebu - I’m not sure if Mayor Tommy Osmeña saw it coming. When he revealed that the city had a surplus of funds from 2008, members of the sportswriting media jumped the gun and immediately demanded for a major overhaul and repair of the track oval of the Cebu City Sports Center (Abellana). On instinct, I immediately agreed to the call (at the start). Who wouldn’t feel the same way after seeing the state of the oval as it is now? Jogging on the oval is like stepping on the moon (with red clay).

But if you think about it further, the instant repair of the oval is not going to be the right answer to our problems especially if you take a long term perspective with an important slice of business sense as part of the puzzle. This brings us back to the argument and discussion over whether or not the Cebu provincial government should’ve gone ahead to construct the Megadome around four or five years ago. While I agree that Cebu badly needs a sports venue for big sporting events, I felt that the Megadome project wasn’t the way to go. While repairing the oval and building a Megadome are very much welcome, we also need to look at the business side of things. Will such projects last a long time, given the horrible history that we have in the department of maintaining our sports venues? Don’t get me wrong. I would love to see a refurbished track oval at Abellana and a spanking brand new coliseum for indoor sports events. Again I ask, who wouldn’t?

 Putting up such structures is a good thing to do, but we also need to put up a program that will see to it that these are well-managed, maintained and given the very much-needed TLC, something which we have failed to do to any of our sports venues. All one has to do is go visit all of these. Cebu Coliseum? Abellana? Mandaue Sports Complex? Sus! These are supposed to be Cebu ’s premier venues for the biggest sports events. Unfortunately, these also happen to be case studies on how “not to manage” and “not maintain” sports venues. Sad, isn’t it? The only exception I can think of would be the USC Main Gym or Fr. Anselmo Bustos Sports Complex. It still has the best basketball court in Cebu but it’s not as big as Cebu Coliseum. Moreover, commercial activities are frowned upon by the USC management.

Now let’s talk business. Is it profitable to put up a sports venue? If putting up a sports venue is a lucrative business, didn’t you ever wonder why the owners of the Cebu Coliseum didn’t upgrade their facilities? Or why no private local businessman decided to put up a coliseum or Megadome? Ironically, there are many local businessmen who are avid fitness buffs and diehard sports fans. Yet their love for sports has its own limits. This doesn’t include building a stadium simply for “the love of the sport.” The bottom line is that putting up a sports venue is not a sound business decision unless you’re a homecourt of the LA Lakers or a part of something bigger.

I know this might sound as gloomy as the forecasted 2009 crisis, but we’ve got to learn our lessons from the past and make our sports venues click. We need to make these last for the long run by making these profitable and self-sustaining business ventures. Let’s manage these in a professional and businesslike manner and not treat these as simple dole-outs from the city, provincial or national government that will eventually rot.

The upside is that there are examples with which we can benchmark. The Araneta Coliseum is a business undertaking of the Araneta family, and it stands out as the centerpiece of the Cubao commercial area. The “Big Dome” is not just a venue for sports. Its ground floor also serves as a mini food street, complete with coffee shops, restaurants and bars. It’s also conveniently linked with the Gateway Mall, Farmers Plaza and not one, but the two Cubao stations of the MRT and LRT 2. The other best cases scenarios can be seen in the U.S. and Europe where their sports venues have become model institutions to local fans. Among the more popular ones include the Staples Center , Madison Square Garden , MGM Grand Hotel, Thomas and Mack Center , and Mandalay Bay in the U.S. Europe boasts of the Wembley Stadium in England , the Santiago Bernabeau Stadium of Real Madrid, Barcelona ’s Camp Nou , Munich ’s Olympic Stadium, and so many more.

Yes, it can be done. Let’s think positive and be daring enough to be different. Putting up the traditional sports venue as a stand-alone business venture won’t work. Let’s get out of the box and do something unique.

Yes, build it. But don’t make it rot! Game?

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Time-out: All CYBL teams must submit their registration forms and requirements by Wednesday, February 4. You can reach me at [email protected]. – THE FREEMAN